Well the big day finally arrived and our incredible group of women flew in from around the world to arrive in Kalispell, our jumping off point for our adventure.

Donna and Cheryl, our two aussies, arrived the night before and stayed in a hotel in Kalispell, with the rest of the group flying in over the afternoon.  Several of the women were on the same flight and had a headstart getting to know each other.

Instantly in the airport the group developed a rapport, and after waiting for all the luggage to come through we boarded the De La Salle Blackfeet School Bus for the two hour journey to Two Medicine.

The ride was a great opportunity to get to know each other and the scenery was beautiful – through the Rocky Mountains and the southern end of Glacier National Park, then out into the plains to Browning.  Our group got their first look at life on the reservation with a drive through of some of the residential areas, and then off to our campsite at Two Medicine.

We had a special surprise waiting for us – 8 local Blackfeet people whose families had been touched by cancer, including one breast cancer survivor herself, had come out cook our dinner and share a meal with us.

Over dinner we had a chance to hear stories of the local history in the area, and their daily lives on the reservation.  We then settled in for our orientation night to learn more about Amazon Heart and our adventures, and the history of the Blackfeet school.

In a recent national survey as part of the government’s “No child left behind” program all schools were surveyed to see if they met minimum educational standards.  Thirty schools in Montana failed, all of which are on Indian Reservations, including all five on the Blackfeet reservation.

The children who come to De La Salle Blackfeet are usually 2 -3 years behind in their educational standard.  DLSB is a middle school for Grades 5 – 8.  In their first group of graduates last year, three made the A Honour roll, one of whom received a scholarship to St Pauls Episcopal Boarding School in Concord, New Hampshire, the first for any child on the Reservation.

We finished the night by sharing our individual stories until late at night, before turning in to sleep in our tipis.  The stars at night here are amazing – so bright, along with the milky way, and they reach all the way down to the horizon.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we are heading up into the Park for a hike before starting our construction work tomorrow.  We had planned to drive up Going to the Sun Road, but a huge forest fire at St Mary has blocked the road.  Instead we will head to Many Glacier for a walk along the lake to Red Rock Falls.